Significant Dates in IRRI History

February

1 February: 1988, K.L. Lampe (photo) arrives as IRRI’s fifth director general.

3 February: 2002, the Honorable Warren Truss, Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry, visits IRRI.

4 February: 1963, the first IRRI symposium (5 days) opens, covering the subjects of rice genetics and cytogenetics. The event marks the first get together in history for the world’s experts in the genetics and cytogenetics. In the group photo, Peter Jennings is 6th from the left in the back row; Sterling Wortman is at far left in front row, and Robert Chandler, Jr., is 7th from the left in the front row.

5 February: 2005, in recognition of his contributions to hybrid rice breeding, genetics, and seed production, IRRI Principal Scientist Sant Virmani receives the International Koshihikari Rice Prize in Fukui City, Japan; 2006, H.E. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, President of the Republic of India (at left in photo above with DG Robert Zeigler), and party visits IRRI headquarters.

7 February: 1962, Philippine President and Mrs. Diosdado Macapagal (center in photo) and Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III (right and left in photo) attend the formal dedication of IRRI as an institution; 2005, IRRI staff members Mark Bell and Joe Rickman begin a week of surveying the tsunami-affected areas of Sri Lanka: 2007, the Luang Prabang (Laos) branch of the IRRI-Greater Mekong Subregion office is officially opened at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

8 February: 2004, Gurdev Khush, former IRRI principal plant breeder, receives the Khwarizmi International Award for Agriculture, which he shares with Sanjaya Rajaram, former CIMMYT wheat breeder, from Iranian President Mohamad Khatami.

11 February: 2001, Marcos R. Vega (photo), former IRRI deputy director general who served the Institute for 15 years (1971-86), passes away.

13 February: 1995, Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos opens the International Rice Research Conference, Fragile lives in fragile ecosystems; 2004, a number of IRRI staff members present papers during the FAO Rice Conference in Rome, the first major event during the International Year of Rice 2004.

16 February: 2002, Sant Virmani, IRRI plant breeder, is elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

18 February: 2006, Hei Leung (photo), senior scientist, plant pathology, is elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

24 February: 2003, With the largest number of participants for a single course in the history of IRRI training (38), Developing integrated nutrient management options for delivery (DINMOD), starts. The participants from China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Nepal, and IRRI share their experiences during the 2-week course; 2004, In collaboration with the Municipal Office of Los Baños, IRRI launches the International Year of Rice (IYR) mobile exhibit at the Los Baños National High School (LBNHS) and the Los Baños Central Elementary School. 

28 February: 2006, the IRRI print shop in Communication and Publications Services closes after producing hundreds of millions of impressions over a 43-year period.